Cancer Knowledge and Disparities in the Information Age

Viswanath, Kasisomayajula; Breen, Nancy; Meissner, Helen I.; Moser, Richard P.; Hesse, Bradford W.; Steele, Whitney R.; Rakowski, William

doi:10.1080/10810730600637426

Cited by 225 publications

(187 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…As predicted, awareness was lower in those with less formal education, similar to disparities observed in knowledge about risk factors for other preventable cancers such as lung and skin (Viswanath et al, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Public awareness that HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer

2007

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We assessed awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) in a population sample of British women (n ¼ 1620) using similar questions to those in a survey in 2002. Only 2.5% cited HPV as the cause of cervical cancer without prompting; up from 0.9% in 2002. Public education about HPV is urgently needed. There has been dramatic progress in understanding the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the aetiology of cervical cancer (Bosch and de Sanjosé, 2003). Human papillomavirus testing is likely to play a part in screening for cervical abnormalities (Cuzick et al, 2006). Prophylactic HPV vaccination has been shown to be highly effective at preventing infection (Villa et al, 2005), and is likely to be introduced in the United Kingdom in the near future.Despite the important public health implications of this work, knowledge about HPV in the general public appears to be low. Although surveys in Britain indicate that around 30% of young adults have 'heard of' HPV (Philips et al, 2003;Waller et al, 2003), this is probably little more than name recognition, because further questioning of women who say they are aware, found that fewer than half knew of the link with cervical cancer (Waller et al, 2003;Tiro et al, 2007). Using the open question 'What causes cervical cancer', the percentage mentioning HPV was less than 2% in surveys in the United Kingdom and Mexico (Lazcano-Ponce et al, 2001;Waller et al, 2004).The potential for a prophylactic vaccine has attracted a great deal of press coverage, and this may have increased knowledge of HPV. However, internet and newspaper articles are most likely to be accessed by higher SES groups (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2006), so the educational impact could be stronger in more educated groups.The present study assessed awareness of HPV and knowledge of risk factors for cervical cancer in home-based interviews with a population-representative sample of British women. Responses were compared with results from a survey carried out in 2002 that used similar methods (Waller et al, 2004), making it possible to analyse changes over time. MATERIALS AND METHODSParticipants were women aged 16 -97 years from a stratified random probability sampling frame. Data were collected as part of the NatCen (National Centre for Social Research) omnibus survey. Using the Post Office Address File (PAF), 6100 addresses in England, Wales and Scotland were selected for recruitment between November 2006 and February 2007. The selected addresses were sent a letter informing them about the research. Data were collected during face-to-face computer-assisted interviews.Women were first asked an open question; 'Thinking of cervical cancer, what do you think is its main cause'. This was followed by 'What, if any, are other causes of cervical cancer'. Women were prompted using the phrase 'anything else' to encourage multiple responses. This was the same format as used in the 2002 survey (Waller et al, 2004). After that, women were asked a 'closed' awareness question: 'Before this interview, were you aware of HP...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Public awareness that HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer

2007

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“…Lower educational levels were also significantly associated with higher combined endorsement scores, which is consistent with most prior studies of health literacy and with endorsement of 10 of the 12 statements. [21][22][23] These findings suggest that public education and community intervention projects may be most effective and efficient if targeted to the groups with the most misconceptions about cancer risk.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of beliefs regarding cancer risks

Stein

Zhao

Crammer

et al. 2007

Cancer

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BACKGROUND. Inaccurate beliefs about cancer risk may contribute to unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and poor adherence to recommended screening and prevention guidelines. To address this issue the current study assessed the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of scientifically unsubstantiated beliefs about cancer risk in a representative sample of the US population. METHODS. Nine hundred fifty‐seven US adults with no history of cancer were surveyed by telephone. The survey included 12 statements about cancer risk, risk factors, and prevention that were framed to be contrary to the consensus of current scientific evidence. RESULTS. Participants were inconsistent in their ability to identify the statements as false, and appraisal accuracy was associated with several sociodemographic characteristics. Five of the 12 misconceptions were endorsed as true by at least a quarter of the respondents, and uncertainty was higher than 15% for 7 statements. At the same time, more than two‐thirds of the participants were able to identify 7 statements as false and, on average, respondents endorsed fewer than 3 statements as true. Respondents who were male, older, non‐White, less educated, and of lower income were most likely to hold inaccurate beliefs. CONCLUSIONS. A notable percentage of the participants in this study hold beliefs about cancer risk at odds with the prevailing scientific evidence. Because the population segments with the least accurate knowledge also bear the greatest burden of cancer, areas for public education and intervention efforts are identified. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.

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“…The sheer volume of news coverage about cancer causes and prevention (36,37) has led to broad speculation about its role in promoting fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention (15,22,(38)(39)(40). Others suggest that cancer fatalism is a deeply ingrained product of social and cultural experience that results in a broader life philosophy of nihilism, angst, and helplessness (9,10,25).…”

Section: Implications For Cancer Communication and Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatalistic Beliefs about Cancer Prevention and Three Prevention Behaviors

Niederdeppe

Levy

2007

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers &Amp; Prevention

364

335

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Background: A substantial proportion of US adults hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention. Although evidence suggests that fatalistic beliefs discourage people from engaging in screening behaviors that can reduce their cancer risk, far less is known about associations between cancer fatalism and other prevention behaviors. We examined sociodemographic correlates of these beliefs and their associations with regular exercise, smoking, and fruit and vegetable consumption with a national sample of American adults.

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Cancer Knowledge and Disparities in the Information Age

Cited by 225 publications

References 39 publications

Public awareness that HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer

Public awareness that HPV is a risk factor for cervical cancer

Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of beliefs regarding cancer risks

Fatalistic Beliefs about Cancer Prevention and Three Prevention Behaviors

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